Ethel Margaret Lee

Ethel Lee passed away on May 16th 2024 at her home in Ann Arbor, Michigan at the age of 91. She was born in Buffalo, NY and was the first child of Ethel and George Scheitinger. She was a graduate of Buffalo State Teachers’ College. During college she met the love of her life, Fred Lee, and the two eloped in 1955 despite anti-miscegenation laws meant to enforce racial segregation in marriage.

Ethel got her radical streak from her father who was a UAW union organizer. She was a fierce advocate for social justice, championing peace, environmental issues and LGBTQ rights, and combating homelessness, hunger and racial discrimination. She was involved in many levels of political campaigns and participated in countless local and national protest marches and rallies. She was a tireless fundraiser and volunteer for the causes she believed in.

Ethel was always the maverick. Before it became a fad, she was a dedicated yoga student, standing on her head in the living room for a half hour every day. She was also a long-distance runner, completing many full marathons. An early proponent of vegetarianism and locavorism, she cooked wonderful meals sourced from the farmers’ market. During the energy crisis of the 70s and 80s she cooked almost exclusively over a wood burning stove.

Ethel worked as an elementary school teacher on a Seneca Nation reservation near Buffalo, and also taught in Chicago and Boston, where Fred was doing medical training. After the arrival of their first child, Ethel stayed home to raise children. Having lost her own mother when she was 13, she was determined to prioritize mothering and making a stable and structured home for her own children. Fred’s work and military service took the family from Boston to San Antonio, Okinawa, Rochester, and finally Ann Arbor.

In Ann Arbor she made many dear friends, especially the Zweiflers and Constantinideses—fellow activists and potluck group, the Kumasakas—who became extended family, and her Day St. neighbors. Fred and Ethel also had a play reading group and attended many local theater productions. She was a devoted member of the First Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Ann Arbor (UUAA) and cherished the community of like-minded people.

Ethel audited music history, literature, and opera courses at the University of Michigan, and had great appreciation for art and music. Ethel was a longtime member of the Stratford, Ontario Shakespeare Festival, and it was the highlight of her year to plan and attend the Festival with Fred and other family members.

Ethel is preceded in death by her loving husband of 60 years, Fred Lee. She is survived by her children: Alexa Lee (Matthew Degenaro, Ann Arbor, MI), Suzanne Lee (Peter Pryde, Ironwood, MI), Fred Lee, Jr. (Marjorie DiMaggio, Madison, WI), Amy Lee (Stathi Mexas, Corfu, Greece), and Andrew Lee (New York, NY), and her beloved grandchildren: June Pryde, Emma Pryde, Cal Pryde, Mary Bridget Lee, Nicholas Lee, and Audrey Lee.

Per Ethel’s wishes, a private family gathering will be held at a later date. Donations in Ethel’s name may be made to: The UUAA Social Justice Council, 4001 Ann Arbor-Saline Rd, Ann Arbor, MI 48103. Their work aligns with Ethel’s lifelong values of peace, equity, and inclusion.